Moment Of Um

Wifi seems like magic! It lets us send information from routers to computers through the air!. But how does it work? Are there magical computer data tubes? Lasers? Tiny invisible falcons carrying messages incredibly quickly? We asked computer scientist Vikram Iyer to help us find the answer. Got a question about who, what, when, where, or WHY-fi? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll signal you an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know there are thousands of different species of crabs on Earth? Most of them live in water, but there are plenty of species that can live outside the water, too. So how do crabs breathe, both in the water and on land? We asked biologist and science communicator Sarah McAnulty to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s got you feeling crabby? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll write you an answer on our finest cruSTATIONERY. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the most part, flowers smell really great, right? They give off scents that are sweet, syrupy, perfumy and fresh. But they don’t all smell the same. We asked botanist Josh Felton from Colorado College why that is. Got a question you’d like to sniff out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a budding expert to give the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our sun is a big fiery ball of gas. It is very bright and very hot. So hot that we can’t even send spacecraft there without them burning up! But how does the sun make all that heat? We asked physics grad student Raj Katti help us find the answer. Got a question that’s a real scorcher? ? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get bRIGHT to work finding the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whale sharks are big. They’re the biggest fish in the whole ocean! Have you ever wondered how they got so big? We asked shark expert Amani Webber-Schultz to help us find out. Do you have an ocean-sized question sloshing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll SEA what we can find! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever seen a dog get the zoomies? That big burst of energy makes them skitter around like furry lightning bolts! But how about wolves? Do they get the zoomies, too? We asked wolf researcher and educator Michelle Mancini to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s zooming around in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pack your brain full of answers! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered how trees keep track of time? They don’t wear wristwatches, so…do they have a tree calendar? Or count their rings like candles on a birthday cake? We asked arborist Casey Clapp to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s budding in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sprout the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The paper money that we use in the United States is printed by the Department of the Treasury. But if money is printed…well, then why couldn’t someone print hundreds of dollars for themselves? How do you know if the crisp five dollar bill in your hand is the real deal or a fake-a-rooni? We asked money expert and Million Bazillion co-host Bridget Bodnar to help us find the answer. Got a question banked in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spend our time on the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Human butts are divided into two cheeks that come in all shapes and sizes. Plus, they help us stand upright and move around! But what about dogs and cats? Why don’t they have butt cheeks like ours? We asked dog researcher Alexandra Horowitzto help us find the answer. Got a question you’ve been sitting on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you crack it open! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are lots of things we can do to relax and get ready for bed at the end of the day: take a warm bath, curl up with a book, or even sip a steaming mug of chamomile tea! But why does chamomile tea make us feel so sleepy? We asked brain doctor and sleep expert Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got ZZZZZ-illions of questions? Send them to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answers in a sNAP! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever had a ball tossed at your face, you probably flinched, tried to knock it away from your face, or jumped out of the way, right? That’s called a reflex, and most humans have them including tiny babies. We asked physical therapist Karen Litzy why that is. Got a question for us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People all over the world have little brown dots called freckles on their skin. You might notice that you get new freckles if you spend time out in the sun. So what are the deets on these dots? We asked dermatologist Kristen Kelley to help us find the answer. Got a question about something and you need help connecting the dots? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help spot the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Owls are amazing. Most are nocturnal and hunt at night. They have incredible eyesight. And a group of them is called a parliament! One of our listeners was wondering how far they can turn their heads around. We asked Lauren Smith from the Owl Research Institute to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question that’s turning you upside down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who doesn’t love a dog nose? They’re cute, often very wet and way better at smelling the world than our puny human noses. Dog noses are one of the few places dogs don’t have hair. But what about inside? Do they have nose hair like we do? We asked dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s giving you a ruff time? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll bark up the right tree for an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Earth is made up of giant masses of land called continents. There are seven continents, but which one came first? Where did it come from? We asked geologist Annie Bauer to help us find the answer. Got a groundbreaking question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dig into it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever noticed how we usually wear lighter colors in the warmer months, and darker colors once it gets cold? Like how your black shirt is perfect at keeping cozy in the winter, but far too sweaty for the summer. But why is that? We asked physicist Dr. Desiré Whitmore, aka the Laser Chick, to help us understand why black absorbs heat. Got a Moment of Um question that’s absorbing your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of people talk in their sleep, especially kids! Have you ever heard anyone babbling away in the middle of the night? Or maybe someone has told you that you do it? Sleep talking is totally normal, but why do we do it? We asked sleep specialist Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’ve been dreaming about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search through the night for the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zippers are everywhere – holding your backpack closed, keeping you snug in your sleeping bag and of course, on your pants! But how exactly does a zipper work? We asked Bryon Robinson of YKK (the world’s largest zipper manufacturer!) to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’d like to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a fasten-ating answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nosebleed is just what it sounds like: it’s when blood comes out of your nose. Lots of people get nosebleeds, but what causes them? We asked pediatrician Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer. Got a scent-sational question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we promise we won’t turn our noses up at it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever tried stirring a liquid really fast with a spoon? Sometimes, it looks like it creates a tiny tornado in the cup! Why does that happen? We asked mechanical engineer Jacy Bird to help us find the answer. Got a question that has your brain spinning? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll TEAm up to find the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever experienced the term "time flies when you’re having fun"? It’s an unfortunate reality of life that time seems to crawl by when we’re waiting for something to happen, and go too fast when we’re having a blast. We asked Ruth Ogden, a psychologist at John Moores University, why this happens. Is there a question you’ve been pondering for a minute? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll set aside the time to get it answered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Believe it or not, plants are sensitive things. They know when the sun is shining. They get stressed when an insect is munching on them. But do they feel things like an electric shock? We asked arborist Casey Clapp to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s firmly planted in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t leaf you hanging See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever been caught in the rain, it probably wasn’t a big deal, right? Lucky for us, rain typically falls from the sky in small droplets. Listener Joe was wondering why that is, so we reached out to Monique Robinson of Mississippi State University to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question that’s raining on your parade? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help weather the storm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever started to fall asleep and then suddenly – whoa! – you jolt awake? What’s up with that? We asked sleep specialist Chris Winter to help us find the answer. Got a question that has you losing sleep? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pull an all-nighter to find the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Octopuses are some of the most incredible animals on Earth. They have three hearts and their blood is blue! Plus, they can taste and smell things with the suction cups on their powerful arms. But do octopuses have brains? We asked wildlife expert Paul Bartell to help us find the answer. Got a question for this cephalo-PODcast? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll blow your mind with the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s say you’re watching a bunch of people run a marathon. The runners are pumping their legs, sure. But they’re also swinging their arms. Why is that? And why do we swing them when walking too? We asked Rachel Adenekan of Stanford University to help explain why that swinging motion is so universal. Got a Moment of Um question that’s keeping you at arm’s length? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll point a finger at the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever smacked a mosquito on your arm, you might have seen a little smear of red blood on your skin afterward. But just whose blood was it? Do we have the same blood as insects? We asked biologist Claire Rusch from the University of Washington to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re the type to help you find an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In fall we like to change up our wardrobe from shorts and T-shirts to pants and sweaters. And guess what, trees do that too! Except they change the color of their leaves. Why is that? We asked Marlyse Duguid from the Yale School of the Environment to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s leaf-ing you stumped? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll put your mind at (for)rest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell, incredible hearing, and the most adorable tail wags. But do they remember anything from when they were puppies? We asked canine cognition researcher Alexandra Horriwitz to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s dog-gone delightful? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’re paw-sitive we’ll help find an answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans are mammals, which means that we have hair on our bodies and heads. Sometimes, as people get older, they lose some of that head hair. How does it happen? Do hair goblins come at night and sneak away with those silky strands? Ok, it’s probably not that. We asked pediatrician Dr. Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer. Got a hair-raising question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help tease out the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People think alligators and crocodiles are really scary - and lots of people don’t understand the difference between them. But wildlife biologist Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez says they are very cool and helps us get to the bottom of their distinctive qualities! Got a Moment of Um question that’s chomping away at your curiosity? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help hunt the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our world is FULL of microorganisms, or microbes for short! They’re tiny microscopic living things like bacteria– and they do so much for us! They help us digest our food. They help make some medicines– like antibiotics. They even help make some of our favorite foods like bread and cheese. Microbes sure are busy, but do they ever sleep? We asked microbiologist Daniel Bond to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever taken a close look at a beehive you can see that it is covered in tiny hexagons! But why is that? We asked bee researcher Jessica Kevill to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A black hole is an area of outer space where gravity is so strong that nothing can get out … not even light! But what’s actually inside a black hole? Are there asteroids? Whole planets? A 1988 Buick LeSabre? We asked astrophysicist Amanda Farah to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s just your cup of gravi-TEA? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the hole truth! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bones! We’ve got lots of them. Leg bones, arm bones, face bones, even ear bones! But…not all animals even have bones inside their bodies. So what are our skeletons for? Why do we have them? We asked pediatrician Dr. Emma Gerstenzang to help us find the answer. Got a topic you’d like to bone up on? Send us a question at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll paTELLa you the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever stayed up late talking to your friends while watching movies, or yelled for your teammates at a soccer match, or screamed at the top of your lungs walking through a haunted house? Maybe you woke up the next day with a hoarse, scratchy voice that you didn’t even recognize. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jennifer Long, an otolaryngologist, about why we lose our voice when we yell or talk loudly. Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s so good it makes you want to scream? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help vocalize the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of people love sparkly, pretty things – especially precious stones, like diamonds. But who decides which stones are precious? And what makes diamonds so special? We asked geologist Marc M. Hirschmann to help us find the answer. Got a priceless question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a jewel of an answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever been tempted to lick something frozen? Hopefully not, because your tongue could get stuck! But don’t worry, we talked to engineer Alexis Noel all about why our tongue sticks to ice, and what to do about it if that happens to you! Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s so good it’s giving you the chills? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help unfreeze your brain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In places all over the world, there are ancient paintings in caves and on cliff walls that were made thousands of years ago by the people living there. But this was way before modern paints, and those people couldn’t mosey down to the craft store to buy their brushes…so how did they make their paintings? We asked anthropologist David Ian Howe to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s close to your heART? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll draw on all our knowledge to find the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bubbles are everywhere! Soap bubbles, fizzy seltzer bubbles, underwater bubbles – even bubblegum bubbles! But how do bubbles pop? We asked mechanical engineer Jacy Bird to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’re bursting to share? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll POP by with the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pee is super cool! It’s 95% water. It’s sterile. And it can be a window into our overall health. But why is it yellow? We asked mechanical engineer Patricia Yang to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All different kinds of giant prehistoric creatures used to walk the Earth, from 20-foot-tall sloths to sharks longer than a school bus.. They all seem huge in our imaginations, but were animals in the past actually bigger than animals on Earth now? We asked paleontologist Kristi Curry Rogers to help us find the answer. Got a BIG question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help size up the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s one thing that’s generally known about sharks, it’s that they have sharp teeth. But have you heard they have to keep moving to stay alive? Why is that? In this episode we talk to shark scientist Melissa Cristina Marquez about this very question. Do you have a Moment of Um question that seems kind of fishy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew on the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When our skin gets irritated, it reacts! And sometimes a rash appears. Rashes can be red, itchy, painful and bumpy… But how does our skin make them? We asked pediatrician Dr. Anjuli Gansto help us find the answer. Got a question under your skin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll rash to find the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Radios are like magical devices. You just flip a switch and BAM, you can listen to everything from punk rock to world news. But how exactly does a radio work? And what’s the difference between AM and FM radio? We asked physics expert Angie Huerta to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s AM-azing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dial in the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever banged your knee pretty badly, you might have noticed the knee swells up to larger than its normal size. To ease your pain and make the swelling go down, maybe someone handed you an ice pack. But why is it ice that does the trick to reduce swelling, and does anything else work? We asked physical therapist Karen Litzy to help us find the answer. Got a Moment of Um question that’s making your brain swell? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of people love spicy food for that tongue-tingling feeling. But where does it come from? What’s happening in our mouths when we bite down on a jalapeño or chili flake? We asked taste and smell researcher Arthur Zimmerman to help us find the answer. Got a tasteful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll spice up your life with the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earth is always moving around the sun, but does the sun move too? Or is it fixed in one place in the cosmos? In this episode, we talk to astrophysicist Brittany Kamai to get to the heart of this issue! Do you have a Moment of Um question that’s burning in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help shine a light on the answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are so many different kinds of bird nests out there: big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Birds build their nests out of everything from twigs and grass to spider silk! But do they make a new nest every year? We asked bird expert Paul Bartell to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’ve been thinking about owl night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – you won’t egret it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tattoos are a type of art that’s added permanently to a person’s skin using special inks and needles. It’s a way of decorating the body that has been around for a long time. But how long? When were the earliest tattoos? We asked sociologist David Lane to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s really needling you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll poke around until we find the answer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.